I think it's very obvious that a lot of the player base didn't engage with the second coil. I would guess far fewer than those who cleared the first coil. There was no real incentive when there was no pressing need in terms of gear. Making it dependent on a decent static didn't help either. That's been my biggest headache and whilst I cleared First Coil before the Echo etc it just wasn't happening for the Second. In all honesty I think I'm on the wrong server. Their are four of us who play a lot together but finding others who are reliable has been a headache.
I just find it funny that T5's instakill mechanics (the things making it so buy-or-carry like Twisters, Divebombs, or fucking knowing how to rotations for the whopping 2-3 real DPS checks [conflag / snakes / dreadknight]) make it more difficult still than T6/7's nerfs to instakill mechanics basically being a slap on the wrist.
Do I hate Second Coil nerfs? Not really. Will be nice when doing it on alts to not care as much. But if accessibility is the concern, I don't see why T5 doesn't see further mechanical nerfs or why T9 is untouched. Or Titan's Landslides. Or Ifrit EX's force enrage. Etc.
I think the changes to SCoB are so drastic because SCoB actually had mechanics, where as first coil had what.. feed slugs and split? ADS was fucking roflstomp and t4 was just trash burn
The thing is, all difficulty / effort discussions should take into account this is not a single player game.
I agree with the idea of gaming being about obstacles and getting better, but the issue here is that casuals don't have static parties.
One can improve, learn all fight mechanics and whatever, but the moment I'm grouped with 7 strangers with no voice communication, that's when things need a nerf.
Plus, when you go into a duty finder group, there's no telling what comp. you'll get for a given raid. I went into T7 as BLM and I was the only range, so I was given renaud duty. I aggro'd all the renauds, drag them to the designated spot and let it whack on me as I wait for voice to freeze them. No way you can clear T7 smoothly in a DF group if it was pre-nerf. I died a couple times and the fight ended with 3 sub-250 DPS and me topping the list with 275.
Shit was terrible, lol.
People saying they should have made normal mode instead of nerfing. Come on now, we all know hard mode would never be done again since people will always take the easiest path when the reward is the same. That's why there was so little interest in Savage other than those groups who care about world first/second.
Best idea is to make a story mode Coil like they do for primals. No rewards for completion but easy enough that a DF group could win. But this should be released alongside the hard mode we currently get. There's no reason savage couldn't be released at the same time too, then we have three difficulty levels from the start with no nerfs needed later.
I'm right onboard with you except for releasing all 3 at the same time. I'd at least wait a single content update between the default and the "storyline mode", simply for spoilers sake. My ideal for 3.0 would be as follows.
Savage Mode: Released initially. Rewards: Single token per player, 3 chests, Title.
Normal Mode: Released initially. Rewards: Single token per player, 2 chests.
Story Mode: Released slightly later than above. Rewards: none.
I disagree, releasing story mode at the same time as normal mode is important because of spoilers. Unless you're in the world first groups you're pretty much expected to do research on the fights before you go into them. For example most people will know who the bosses for T12 and T13 are before they set foot in them.
This is seriously one of the most important things i think a lot of people, unbelievably, don't understand. For the casual player these huge obstacles prevent people from actually accessing content. Highly restricted access to content is far more debilitating to the health of a playerbase than some delusion that the game will be worse since shit tier/scrub tier/casual tier players won't have the original coil 2 to play. Players who have nothing to do end up quitting.
For me, a lot of the drive to complete coil turns over all other priorities disappeared when SCoB came out and I finally understood that there's just no point.
In a vertical game like this, it's quite literally about the journey and not the destination. It's not like XI where it's worth it to go crazy grinding out your Apocalypse because you'll never have to think about the weapon slot again after that.
I think T5 and T9, as content gates, are intentionally harder than non-gating turns (as in, old-content T5 is intended to be more difficult than old-content T6 and T7).
The instant obsolescence of equipment has, and will continue, to really put off a lot of people. And the answer is I believe pretty simple -- the progression needs to overlap. The hypothetical scenario...
Patch x.1 has equipment in the range of iLvl 110-150. 150 is what is earned doing the hardest content, say Coil. 140 is what you'd expect a casual to reach during the time x.1 is current. When x.2 comes out, the range of gear used to tackle new content should be from 140 to 170 [NOT 160-200!]. Hardcore players immediately start tackling content that earns them 160 so they can begin to earn 170. Casual players are behind by a couple of weeks going from 140-150 (perhaps via nerf to OldCoil, gated in some way, or however). A casual player would expect to get to iLvl 160 while x.2 is live. The process repeats.
You accomplish both goals -- a vertical system that moves quickly but still gives some actual meaning (and competitive advantage) to capping your gear during a given patch. I can live with gear becoming obsolete, but I can't deal with it be entirely meaningless.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...811-26-2014%29
Hello again to all of you FFXIVers out there!
Perhaps it’s because of all the recent LIVE letters, events, and the two recent fan festivals in Las Vegas and London, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to write one of my letters. Finally seizing a moment of free time in my schedule, I’ve managed to put virtual pen to paper and bring you my fifty-ninth letter from the producer!
First, I’d like to thank everyone who was able to attend the fan festivals in Las Vegas and London, as well as everyone who tuned in to the live streams. With numerous activities, presentations, and performances at each event, I’m sure everyone had an incredible time, as did the dev team, having the chance to meet fans the world over. It’s been four years since the original release of FINAL FANTASY XIV, and I don’t think it’s often that such events are held on an international scale for an MMORPG. Your ardent support of the game made this possible, and it feels like a dream come true. Your enthusiastic cheering and smiling faces are a memory I’ll cherish always. With that said, there’s still one more fan festival to go, right here in Tokyo, Japan. We have a lot planned, so you can be sure we’ll continue to put the FFXIV in 2014 during this year’s final two-day event.
Which reminds me, we finally announced our first expansion─FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward at our two previous fan festival events (check out the teaser site). We’ve been making steady progress on the expansion while also releasing patches for A Realm Reborn, but now we’re really picking up the pace, doing everything we can to ensure that Heavensward brings you an all new FFXIV experience. Keep your eyes peeled as we continue to release more information in the future.
Speaking of patches, we’re finally getting to the climax of the main scenario as patch 2.4 was released October 28, 2014. When getting my fill of FFXIV, I’ve found there’s nothing sweeter than the sound of rogues and ninjas assassinating enemies at every turn. I can’t say it’s of great help to those leveling their ninjas, but I’ve been using my tank in low level roulettes, trying to help move the queues along.
Patch 2.4 also brought the final turns of the Coil of Bahamut, and the conclusion to its incredible story. Eorzea’s bravest hit the ground running, and in less than a week, on November 2, 2014 at 9:03 p.m. JST, the coil was cleared. The group to accomplish this amazing feat was Lucrezia, making them the first Japanese group to claim the title of world first. Congratulations on a job well done!
A number of free companies were competing to be the first to clear all four turns, and the dev team would check their logs daily, waiting to see who would be the first to finish. Following close on Lucrezia’s heels was Collision, who were actually first to clear the third floor. They put forth an incredible effort, clearing the final floor mere hours after Lucrezia. The third free company to overcome the final coil was Death and Taxes, a group well known across several MMORPGs.
The exceptional level of skill and teamwork they possess definitely deserves mention. They worked incredibly hard, making weekly runs through the Second Coil of Bahamut (Savage) in preparation for the Final Coil. In pushing their DPS and team coordination to its limits, I heard some teams also played through the normal Second Coil in item level 90 gear, and even the original Binding Coil in item level 55 gear after removing the Echo (with some teams clearing up to the final turn).
While there’s more to FFXIV than just end-game raiding, to those players who practice vigorously every day, aspiring to be the world's top players─as a gamer you have my utmost respect. I know how painstaking such an undertaking can be, and I thank you for taking such great interest in these challenging encounters. For those of you still making your way through, or preparing to step foot into the Final Coil─only about 50 teams have cleared the entirety of the Final Coil across all servers, so there’s no need to rush. Enjoy yourselves, and prepare to uncover the truth of the Calamity.
As I said, there’s more to FFXIV than just end game raiding, and starting in patch 2.45, coming in the first half of December, you can pledge your devotion to your significant other in a Ceremony of Eternal Bonding. We designed this system with roleplaying in mind, paying extra attention to customization and presentation, so that you can hold an amazing ceremony in the world of Eorzea.
http://img.finalfantasyxiv.com/t/479...b682909_0.jpg]
If you should happen to receive an invitation, be sure to ready put on Sunday best!
Patch 2.45 also brings the continuation of the Zodiac weapon quest.
http://img.finalfantasyxiv.com/t/479...6b682909_2.jpg
Just what shocking developments are coming this time?
In the meantime, I’ve been doing what I can to get the word out about FFXIV with my recent attendance at Korea’s largest game show event, G-Star. There’s also the F.A.T.E. in Fukuoka coming up soon, and in December, we’ll round out the year with the third fan festival event here in Tokyo, Japan. You can look forward to another glimpse of the first expansion, Heavensward.
It’s time for me to head back to work, but I’ll see you next time, at the F.A.T.E. in Fukuoka, at the fan festival in Tokyo, and in Eorzea!
sounds like... probably the 16th I guess? Who's looking forward.. to the epic soul crushing grind!? O_o
Part of me wants to get caught up in time to start with everyone else, another part says "fuck books".
Can't wait...